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Gasoline leak discovered in Mahnomen
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency funds cleanup
By Mark Boswell
Contributor
"For years people have been
dumping things and letting the
environment get polluted, I think
that it's about time we cleaned up
our mess for Mother Nature," said
Sharon Eid, District I Representative
from White Earth and current owner
of a convenience store in Mahnomen
that has been cleaned up after a large
gasoline leak was discovered last
summer.
Around the state and in the local
cities around the White Earth
Reservation many such cleanup
operations are underway or being
considered after new regulations set
up by the Petroleum Tank Release
Cleanup Fund (Petrofund) law that
took effect May 22.
Gasoline leaks in underground
storage tanks are not only hazardous
to operate because of the potential
for explosion, they also can be
responsible for petroleum
contamination that threatens ground
water statewide.
According to the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
the changes in the law make it easier
for Minnesota storage tank owners
to pay for cleanup of gasoline and
fuel oil tank leaks.
Mark Balstad of Fosston
Plumbing, the contractor hired for
the cleanup said that the Mahnomen
cleanup was the second or third his
company was involved with.
Currently, MPCA staff are
overseeing investigation and cleanup
of petroleum contamination at over
1,500 sites in the state.
Balstad demonstrated how messy
this particular job was by digging
out a handful of the clay removed
from the site and sniffing at it. The
odor confirmed that the soil had
been contaminated with gasoline.
"We went twelve feet deep at this
site," said Balstad, "and found
600-800 parts per million (gasoline)
contamination. The MCPA
regulations state that 10 parts per
million is all that can be tolerated
before a cleanup is necessary."
According to MPCA public
information officer Laura Fisher this
particular leak would be considered
"moderate to high" in concentration
of gasoline leakage. "Some
locations being tested," Fisher said,
"are in the thousands of parts
permillion." .
The volatility of the spill was
evident. Balstad stated: "We went
down 12 feet, shoveled some of the
clay out and lit it on fire."
Under the new Petrofund
provisions, tank owners who comply
with storage tank laws are eligible to
receive reimbursement of up to 90
percent of their cleanup costs up to
$250,000. The original
reimbursement formula allowed
repayment of 75% of eligible costs
over $10,000 and under $100,000.
"These changes make a good
program even better," siad MPCA
Commissioner Gerald willet.
"Hundreds of small businesses will
now be able to afford cleanup and
stay in business, which is good for
everybody."
In addition, state officials hope
that more generous reimbursement
provisions for tank owners will
encourage insurance companies to
lower rates on leak-insurance
policies.
Eid said that it was not known
when they began replacing the old
tanks to what extent the leakage had
occurred. "Whe they started digging
away from the tank it was
discovered how much had leaked
out of the old tanks.
Cleanup of the site has taken at
least a month, and it has only been
in the last week that the new tanks
have been in use. Eid said that the
tanks were down about three hours,
so there was little inconvenience in
the shutdown. She said that they
had expected to replace the tanks
anyway. "When we went after our
small business loan it was agreed we
Cleanup was necessary after a gasoline leak was discovered in Mahnomen while storage tanks were
replaced at a convenience store owned by Sharon Eid, District I Rep. from the White Earth Reservation.
would put in new tanks," said
Eid,"nobody knew to what extent
the leakage would be."
Purchased from Stanley and
Beverly Gunderson of Mahnomen,
the station had been in operation for
at least 30 years. Some cleanup was
assumed necessary. "I guess
everybody expects some pollution
when you buy an old station," said
Eid.
The station, which changed hands
at the end of September was
expected to be fully operational in
November. Because of the leak, Eid
expects that the project may not be
Cleanup/ see page 6
Federal Mismanagement
of Indian trust fund found
page 3
: ■ ■ .. ■■ - '
.
Fifty Cents
Bemidji Tenants' Union
seeks minimum
housing standards
page6
Founded in 1988
Volume 2 Issue 7
October 18
,1989 |
e Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1989
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Tribes must stay independent, work jointly
ByTedBridis
Associated Press Writer
Oklahoma City, Okla. (AP) -
American Indians need to retain
tribal sovereignty if they are to lift
themselves out of economic
depression, leaders of the National
Congress of American Indians say.
"The process of tribal sovereignty
is what's going to carry us into the
future," F. Browning Pipestem, an
attorney in Norman, said Tuesday.
"Tribal sovereignty is the last plane
out of Casablanca for tribes. It is the
last plane out of poverty and
unemployment."
More than 1,000 Indian leaders
representing 150 tribes are at the
NCAI conference to discuss issues
ranging from treaty and sovereignty
rights to environ- mental ethics. The
BIA releases
Poncatribe funds
Oklahoma City, Okla. (AP) -
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has
released about $100,000 in federal
funds that were withheld from the
Ponca tribe earlier this year
because of financial and business
problems.
Delbert Cole, chairman of the
Ponca City-based tribe's Business
Committee, said the BIA freed the
funds because the tribe's new
leaders have taken steps to solve
the problems.
The Daily Oklahoman reported on
the development in today's editions.
The BIA and Indian Health
Services also approved $1.3
million for the Poncas for the 1990
fiscal year, which began this
month, Cole said.
Financial and other records were
a mess when Cole and others took
office after their Aug. 19 election,
he said.
"Shambles is too nice a word.
We had to completely revamp the
accounting department. We'll be
setting up guidelines and
assurances that this won't happen
again," Cole said.
An audit of financial records is
under way, he said.
William Pino, contracting
officer with the BIA's Pawnee
agency, said in a letter to Cole that
the BIA is satisfied that
"substantial work has occurred and
corrective action will be taken to
bring about conformity with all
contract requirements."
The BlA in March froze about
$100,000 in federal funds and
contracts to the tribe because
former business committee
chairwoman Cynthia Stoner
refused to hold regular elections
and act on a recall petition filed
against her.
Despite the BIA action, Ms.
Stoner still delayed court-ordered
elections until an injunction was
filed, ordering her to not interfere
with elections.
Ms. Stoner sought re-election but
was defeated along with other
incumbents.
The August election was the
tribe's first in 2 1/2 years.
conference ends Friday.
Pipestem participated in a panel on
litigation and legislation issues.
Also Tuesday, a panel on cultural
rights told delegates they need to
become more organized and avoid
internal squabbles if they are to
recover and strengthen Indian
culture.
"I've seen a lot of in-fighting,"
said Adeline Whitewolf of Lame
Deer, Mont. "We don't accomplish
success. We don't accomplish
anything. This negativism doesn't
get us anywhere.
"NCAI is a sign of what we are
doing for our people," she said.
"Success is at hand. We should unite
together and support each other."
NCAI President John Gonzalez
said plans to establish the Museum
of the American Indian at the
Smithsonian Institution make
cultural rights an important topic at
the meeting.
In May, the Smithsonian and the
Indian museum signed an agreement
to transfer relics from the Heye
Foundation's collection in New
York City to the Smithsonian.
During the cultural rights
discussion, Will Mayo, NCAI Juneau
area vice president, said Indians need
to stick together to conquer the
discrimination and social problems
that confront tribes.
"The issue of the cultural concerns
is an issue close to each one of us
who wants to see our people survive
among all the attacks our people
have suffered," he said. "The attacks
come from without and they come
from within.
Delegates to National
Indian
take home advice
ByTedBridis
Associated Press Writer
Oklahoma City. Okla. (AP) -
At the end of this week's National
Congress of American Indians
convention, more than 1,000
delegates will cart home some
advice from Indian leaders - stick
together but stay independent.
Panelists at the conference have
warned delegates to retain tribal
sovereignty but unite and work to
avoid internal squabbles among
tribes. And more than any other,
the unification message pounds
itself home.
"I've seen a lot of in-righting,"
said Adeline Whitewolf of Lame
Deer, Mont. "We don't accomplish
success. We donft accomplish
anything. This negativism doesn't
get us anywhere.
"NCAI is a sign of what we are
doing for our people," she said.
"Success is at hand. We should unite
together and support each other."
The theme of this year's
convention is "A Network of
Sovereign Nations United" - ironic
since this is a politically divisive
election year within the NCAI.
The group's president, John
Gonzalez, has announced he will
step down after two year's in the
post. Indian leaders say there is no
clear successor, and several
members had posted election
banners at the conference Tuesday.
More than 1,000 delegates
representing 150 tribes are at the
NCAI conference to discuss issues
ranging from treaty and sovereignty
rights to environmental ethics. The
conference ends Friday.
On Tuesday, Indian leaders told
delegates they need to retain tribal
sovereignty if they are to lift
themselves out of economic
depression.
"The process of tribal sovereignty
is what's going to carry us into the
future,'1 said F. Browning Pipestem,
an attorney in Norman. "Tribal
sovereignty is the last plane out of
Casablanca for tribes. It is the last
plane out of poverty and
unemployment"
And at a panel on cultural rights,
they told delegates Indians need to
stick together to conquer the
discrimination and social problems
that confront tribes.
"The issue of the cultural concerns
is an issue close to each one of us
who wants to see our people survive
among all the attacks our people
have suffered," said Will Mayo,
NCAI area vice president of Juneau,
Alaska. "The attacks come from
without and they come from within.
"Within our families, we see the
harmful effects of alcoholism and
drug abuse. You people here today
must stop this genocide, this
ethnocide," he said.
Plans to establish the Museum of
the American Indian at the
Smithsonian Institution make
cultural rights an important topic
at the meet, Gonzalez said.
In May, the Smithsonian and the
Indian museum signed an
agreement to transfer relics from
the Heye Foundation's collection
in New York City to the
Smithsonian.
During the cultural rights
discussion, Mayo told delegates
theexodus of young Indians from
the tribes must be stopped if their
culture is to survive.
"We have large families and we
honor them," he said. "Our
children, they learn about
corporate ladders, and they learn
about bureaucracy. But they forget
a lot of things.
"When Indians say, 'How will
we recover our culture? How will
we strengthen our culture?* We
have to turn to our children."
Liaison Board gets results
Pueblo Council gets
grant to begin arts and
crafts training center
Santa Fe, N.M. (AP) _ An arts
and crafts training center is
envisioned by the Eight Northern
Indian Pueblos Council as die first
step in a major economic
development project called Pueblo
North.
The federal government granted
the council more than $500,000 to
begin building the center, which is
designed to provide education and
jobs for pueblo members.
The pueblos represented by the
council are Tesuque, Taos, Santa
Clara, San Ildefonso, San Juan,
Pojoaque, Picuris and Nambe.
The council's executive director,
Bernie Teba, said die first phase of
construction, a $199,000 training
center building paid for with U.S.
Department of Education funds,
should be completed within a year.
The council said the complex
would be on pueblo land, but
officials are reluctant to release
details of the project and said they
have not chosen an exact site.
Statements by Teba and an
outline in the council's 1989
visitors* guide show the project
would have both training facilities
and a center to sell items made by
tribal members.
The complex eventually could
include a restaurant, archive and
research center, am amphitheater
and an outdoor village in which
tribal members would stage dances
and demonstrate traditional
activities such as baking bread,
making drums, grinding corn and
storytelling.
By Kathy Thomes
Staff Writer
Bemidji, Minn. - Mary Bellanger
said Sunday, October 15, treatment of
her son, Michael Littlewolf, in the
Beltrami County Jail has improved
since she brought her complaint to the
Bemidji Area Criminal liaison Panel.
Bellanger and others confronted the
panel with complaints of harassment
and abuse of process by law
enforcement officials at the panel's
third meeting, October 4.
Dissatisfaction with the panel's
ability to take immediate action on her
complaint against the officer that
arrested her son,, and alleged
harassment by Beltrami County Jailor
John Rivera, had resulted in her
walking out uttering obscenities, and
the resignation of panel member Joe
Sayers.
Although the panel has met three
times, Chief of Police Bob Tell and
Beltrami County Sheriff Dwight
Stuart seemed unprepared for the
police-related complaints for which
the panel was designed. Panel
members agreed they should have
been forewarned about the complaints,
and that complaints should be brought
Guy Packineau and his wife Cheryl brought a complaint of false
accusation of shoplifting and arrest before the panel. Photo by Kathy Thornes
in writing a few days before the
meeting.
Still in the process of determining
procedure, panel members expressed
frustration at their ability to satisfy
Bellanger's concern for her son's
safety.
Smart responded by saying, "I know
the case...there are more charges
against him...your son is safe within
our facility." Smart added, "I don't
believe he's being egged on."
Erv Sargent responded, "Even
though she didn't walk out of here
satisfied I think we should check it
out, give her some feedback so that
she can be satisfied, and let her know
we're listening."
Sargent added, "I know the feeling
of apprehension...they (Stuart and
Tell) don't have to be here...we
believe they're honest and sincere and
that they wouldn't be here otherwise."
Joe Bellanger, Chairman of the
Panel, said "the panel just serves as a
sounding board... (and) is still in the
process of forming guidelines."
Mary Bellanger's complaint was a
third party complaint, he added, and
"we did make an exception" by
hearing a third party complaint. He
added that people who've come with
complaints can follow-up on their
complaint at the next panel meeting.
Guy Packineau, Red Lake, brought
a complaint of false accusation of
shoplifting and arrest before the panel.
Packineau said he was at a local liquor
store, put a bottle under his arm to get
something out of his pocket, and was
accused of shoplifting while he was
still on the premises. The police were
called and the officer asked him to
step outside, which he did.
Tell responded that he will look into
the complaint, but that it looks more
like a complaint against the clerk of
the store. Tell added that when the
Board/ see page 8

Content and images in this collection may be reproduced and used freely without written permission only for educational purposes. Any other use requires the express written consent of Bemidji State University and the Associated Press. All uses require an acknowledgment of the source of the work.

Gasoline leak discovered in Mahnomen
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency funds cleanup
By Mark Boswell
Contributor
"For years people have been
dumping things and letting the
environment get polluted, I think
that it's about time we cleaned up
our mess for Mother Nature," said
Sharon Eid, District I Representative
from White Earth and current owner
of a convenience store in Mahnomen
that has been cleaned up after a large
gasoline leak was discovered last
summer.
Around the state and in the local
cities around the White Earth
Reservation many such cleanup
operations are underway or being
considered after new regulations set
up by the Petroleum Tank Release
Cleanup Fund (Petrofund) law that
took effect May 22.
Gasoline leaks in underground
storage tanks are not only hazardous
to operate because of the potential
for explosion, they also can be
responsible for petroleum
contamination that threatens ground
water statewide.
According to the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
the changes in the law make it easier
for Minnesota storage tank owners
to pay for cleanup of gasoline and
fuel oil tank leaks.
Mark Balstad of Fosston
Plumbing, the contractor hired for
the cleanup said that the Mahnomen
cleanup was the second or third his
company was involved with.
Currently, MPCA staff are
overseeing investigation and cleanup
of petroleum contamination at over
1,500 sites in the state.
Balstad demonstrated how messy
this particular job was by digging
out a handful of the clay removed
from the site and sniffing at it. The
odor confirmed that the soil had
been contaminated with gasoline.
"We went twelve feet deep at this
site," said Balstad, "and found
600-800 parts per million (gasoline)
contamination. The MCPA
regulations state that 10 parts per
million is all that can be tolerated
before a cleanup is necessary."
According to MPCA public
information officer Laura Fisher this
particular leak would be considered
"moderate to high" in concentration
of gasoline leakage. "Some
locations being tested," Fisher said,
"are in the thousands of parts
permillion." .
The volatility of the spill was
evident. Balstad stated: "We went
down 12 feet, shoveled some of the
clay out and lit it on fire."
Under the new Petrofund
provisions, tank owners who comply
with storage tank laws are eligible to
receive reimbursement of up to 90
percent of their cleanup costs up to
$250,000. The original
reimbursement formula allowed
repayment of 75% of eligible costs
over $10,000 and under $100,000.
"These changes make a good
program even better," siad MPCA
Commissioner Gerald willet.
"Hundreds of small businesses will
now be able to afford cleanup and
stay in business, which is good for
everybody."
In addition, state officials hope
that more generous reimbursement
provisions for tank owners will
encourage insurance companies to
lower rates on leak-insurance
policies.
Eid said that it was not known
when they began replacing the old
tanks to what extent the leakage had
occurred. "Whe they started digging
away from the tank it was
discovered how much had leaked
out of the old tanks.
Cleanup of the site has taken at
least a month, and it has only been
in the last week that the new tanks
have been in use. Eid said that the
tanks were down about three hours,
so there was little inconvenience in
the shutdown. She said that they
had expected to replace the tanks
anyway. "When we went after our
small business loan it was agreed we
Cleanup was necessary after a gasoline leak was discovered in Mahnomen while storage tanks were
replaced at a convenience store owned by Sharon Eid, District I Rep. from the White Earth Reservation.
would put in new tanks," said
Eid,"nobody knew to what extent
the leakage would be."
Purchased from Stanley and
Beverly Gunderson of Mahnomen,
the station had been in operation for
at least 30 years. Some cleanup was
assumed necessary. "I guess
everybody expects some pollution
when you buy an old station," said
Eid.
The station, which changed hands
at the end of September was
expected to be fully operational in
November. Because of the leak, Eid
expects that the project may not be
Cleanup/ see page 6
Federal Mismanagement
of Indian trust fund found
page 3
: ■ ■ .. ■■ - '
.
Fifty Cents
Bemidji Tenants' Union
seeks minimum
housing standards
page6
Founded in 1988
Volume 2 Issue 7
October 18
,1989 |
e Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1989
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Tribes must stay independent, work jointly
ByTedBridis
Associated Press Writer
Oklahoma City, Okla. (AP) -
American Indians need to retain
tribal sovereignty if they are to lift
themselves out of economic
depression, leaders of the National
Congress of American Indians say.
"The process of tribal sovereignty
is what's going to carry us into the
future," F. Browning Pipestem, an
attorney in Norman, said Tuesday.
"Tribal sovereignty is the last plane
out of Casablanca for tribes. It is the
last plane out of poverty and
unemployment."
More than 1,000 Indian leaders
representing 150 tribes are at the
NCAI conference to discuss issues
ranging from treaty and sovereignty
rights to environ- mental ethics. The
BIA releases
Poncatribe funds
Oklahoma City, Okla. (AP) -
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has
released about $100,000 in federal
funds that were withheld from the
Ponca tribe earlier this year
because of financial and business
problems.
Delbert Cole, chairman of the
Ponca City-based tribe's Business
Committee, said the BIA freed the
funds because the tribe's new
leaders have taken steps to solve
the problems.
The Daily Oklahoman reported on
the development in today's editions.
The BIA and Indian Health
Services also approved $1.3
million for the Poncas for the 1990
fiscal year, which began this
month, Cole said.
Financial and other records were
a mess when Cole and others took
office after their Aug. 19 election,
he said.
"Shambles is too nice a word.
We had to completely revamp the
accounting department. We'll be
setting up guidelines and
assurances that this won't happen
again," Cole said.
An audit of financial records is
under way, he said.
William Pino, contracting
officer with the BIA's Pawnee
agency, said in a letter to Cole that
the BIA is satisfied that
"substantial work has occurred and
corrective action will be taken to
bring about conformity with all
contract requirements."
The BlA in March froze about
$100,000 in federal funds and
contracts to the tribe because
former business committee
chairwoman Cynthia Stoner
refused to hold regular elections
and act on a recall petition filed
against her.
Despite the BIA action, Ms.
Stoner still delayed court-ordered
elections until an injunction was
filed, ordering her to not interfere
with elections.
Ms. Stoner sought re-election but
was defeated along with other
incumbents.
The August election was the
tribe's first in 2 1/2 years.
conference ends Friday.
Pipestem participated in a panel on
litigation and legislation issues.
Also Tuesday, a panel on cultural
rights told delegates they need to
become more organized and avoid
internal squabbles if they are to
recover and strengthen Indian
culture.
"I've seen a lot of in-fighting,"
said Adeline Whitewolf of Lame
Deer, Mont. "We don't accomplish
success. We don't accomplish
anything. This negativism doesn't
get us anywhere.
"NCAI is a sign of what we are
doing for our people," she said.
"Success is at hand. We should unite
together and support each other."
NCAI President John Gonzalez
said plans to establish the Museum
of the American Indian at the
Smithsonian Institution make
cultural rights an important topic at
the meeting.
In May, the Smithsonian and the
Indian museum signed an agreement
to transfer relics from the Heye
Foundation's collection in New
York City to the Smithsonian.
During the cultural rights
discussion, Will Mayo, NCAI Juneau
area vice president, said Indians need
to stick together to conquer the
discrimination and social problems
that confront tribes.
"The issue of the cultural concerns
is an issue close to each one of us
who wants to see our people survive
among all the attacks our people
have suffered," he said. "The attacks
come from without and they come
from within.
Delegates to National
Indian
take home advice
ByTedBridis
Associated Press Writer
Oklahoma City. Okla. (AP) -
At the end of this week's National
Congress of American Indians
convention, more than 1,000
delegates will cart home some
advice from Indian leaders - stick
together but stay independent.
Panelists at the conference have
warned delegates to retain tribal
sovereignty but unite and work to
avoid internal squabbles among
tribes. And more than any other,
the unification message pounds
itself home.
"I've seen a lot of in-righting,"
said Adeline Whitewolf of Lame
Deer, Mont. "We don't accomplish
success. We donft accomplish
anything. This negativism doesn't
get us anywhere.
"NCAI is a sign of what we are
doing for our people," she said.
"Success is at hand. We should unite
together and support each other."
The theme of this year's
convention is "A Network of
Sovereign Nations United" - ironic
since this is a politically divisive
election year within the NCAI.
The group's president, John
Gonzalez, has announced he will
step down after two year's in the
post. Indian leaders say there is no
clear successor, and several
members had posted election
banners at the conference Tuesday.
More than 1,000 delegates
representing 150 tribes are at the
NCAI conference to discuss issues
ranging from treaty and sovereignty
rights to environmental ethics. The
conference ends Friday.
On Tuesday, Indian leaders told
delegates they need to retain tribal
sovereignty if they are to lift
themselves out of economic
depression.
"The process of tribal sovereignty
is what's going to carry us into the
future,'1 said F. Browning Pipestem,
an attorney in Norman. "Tribal
sovereignty is the last plane out of
Casablanca for tribes. It is the last
plane out of poverty and
unemployment"
And at a panel on cultural rights,
they told delegates Indians need to
stick together to conquer the
discrimination and social problems
that confront tribes.
"The issue of the cultural concerns
is an issue close to each one of us
who wants to see our people survive
among all the attacks our people
have suffered," said Will Mayo,
NCAI area vice president of Juneau,
Alaska. "The attacks come from
without and they come from within.
"Within our families, we see the
harmful effects of alcoholism and
drug abuse. You people here today
must stop this genocide, this
ethnocide," he said.
Plans to establish the Museum of
the American Indian at the
Smithsonian Institution make
cultural rights an important topic
at the meet, Gonzalez said.
In May, the Smithsonian and the
Indian museum signed an
agreement to transfer relics from
the Heye Foundation's collection
in New York City to the
Smithsonian.
During the cultural rights
discussion, Mayo told delegates
theexodus of young Indians from
the tribes must be stopped if their
culture is to survive.
"We have large families and we
honor them," he said. "Our
children, they learn about
corporate ladders, and they learn
about bureaucracy. But they forget
a lot of things.
"When Indians say, 'How will
we recover our culture? How will
we strengthen our culture?* We
have to turn to our children."
Liaison Board gets results
Pueblo Council gets
grant to begin arts and
crafts training center
Santa Fe, N.M. (AP) _ An arts
and crafts training center is
envisioned by the Eight Northern
Indian Pueblos Council as die first
step in a major economic
development project called Pueblo
North.
The federal government granted
the council more than $500,000 to
begin building the center, which is
designed to provide education and
jobs for pueblo members.
The pueblos represented by the
council are Tesuque, Taos, Santa
Clara, San Ildefonso, San Juan,
Pojoaque, Picuris and Nambe.
The council's executive director,
Bernie Teba, said die first phase of
construction, a $199,000 training
center building paid for with U.S.
Department of Education funds,
should be completed within a year.
The council said the complex
would be on pueblo land, but
officials are reluctant to release
details of the project and said they
have not chosen an exact site.
Statements by Teba and an
outline in the council's 1989
visitors* guide show the project
would have both training facilities
and a center to sell items made by
tribal members.
The complex eventually could
include a restaurant, archive and
research center, am amphitheater
and an outdoor village in which
tribal members would stage dances
and demonstrate traditional
activities such as baking bread,
making drums, grinding corn and
storytelling.
By Kathy Thomes
Staff Writer
Bemidji, Minn. - Mary Bellanger
said Sunday, October 15, treatment of
her son, Michael Littlewolf, in the
Beltrami County Jail has improved
since she brought her complaint to the
Bemidji Area Criminal liaison Panel.
Bellanger and others confronted the
panel with complaints of harassment
and abuse of process by law
enforcement officials at the panel's
third meeting, October 4.
Dissatisfaction with the panel's
ability to take immediate action on her
complaint against the officer that
arrested her son,, and alleged
harassment by Beltrami County Jailor
John Rivera, had resulted in her
walking out uttering obscenities, and
the resignation of panel member Joe
Sayers.
Although the panel has met three
times, Chief of Police Bob Tell and
Beltrami County Sheriff Dwight
Stuart seemed unprepared for the
police-related complaints for which
the panel was designed. Panel
members agreed they should have
been forewarned about the complaints,
and that complaints should be brought
Guy Packineau and his wife Cheryl brought a complaint of false
accusation of shoplifting and arrest before the panel. Photo by Kathy Thornes
in writing a few days before the
meeting.
Still in the process of determining
procedure, panel members expressed
frustration at their ability to satisfy
Bellanger's concern for her son's
safety.
Smart responded by saying, "I know
the case...there are more charges
against him...your son is safe within
our facility." Smart added, "I don't
believe he's being egged on."
Erv Sargent responded, "Even
though she didn't walk out of here
satisfied I think we should check it
out, give her some feedback so that
she can be satisfied, and let her know
we're listening."
Sargent added, "I know the feeling
of apprehension...they (Stuart and
Tell) don't have to be here...we
believe they're honest and sincere and
that they wouldn't be here otherwise."
Joe Bellanger, Chairman of the
Panel, said "the panel just serves as a
sounding board... (and) is still in the
process of forming guidelines."
Mary Bellanger's complaint was a
third party complaint, he added, and
"we did make an exception" by
hearing a third party complaint. He
added that people who've come with
complaints can follow-up on their
complaint at the next panel meeting.
Guy Packineau, Red Lake, brought
a complaint of false accusation of
shoplifting and arrest before the panel.
Packineau said he was at a local liquor
store, put a bottle under his arm to get
something out of his pocket, and was
accused of shoplifting while he was
still on the premises. The police were
called and the officer asked him to
step outside, which he did.
Tell responded that he will look into
the complaint, but that it looks more
like a complaint against the clerk of
the store. Tell added that when the
Board/ see page 8